Garment-folding tray



E. J. SCHREMP GARMENT FOLDING TRAY Filed Aug. 8. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 LN, E

INVENTOR fda/ard J Sch/emp vl Y# f f 'f I (i, ATTORNEYS Jan. 31,1928. v `1,657,551

E. J. scHRi-:MP

GARMENT FOLDING TRAY Filed Aug. s. '1925 2 sheets-Sheen 2 Patented Jan. 31, 1928.

UNITED sT/AzriES PATENT orales.

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Application filed August 8,1923. 4,Serial No. 556,383.

'handling operations whereby the manufacturing cost is reduced simultaneously with the iii'iprovement in the appearance of the merchandise.

ln the manufacture of knitgoods, lthe pieces are usually pressed and then folded hy hand Ato a bundle reduced in size equal to thehun in which the garments lare tobe packed Afor shipment and sale. Considerahle waste of time is involved in manually handling garmentsand especially in fold- `ing the g'irn'ients. By using'n'iy `improved garment folding tray, the timel ordinarily consumed in handling andfolding the garn'ientisreduced, andthe garmei'itV is more rapidly made ready for packing inthe hex.

The accompanying drawings show one preferred embodiment of the invention, `1t being understood how'the construction and use ofthe traymay he alteredV to better meet the varying conditions of manufacture and use.

Figure 1 illustrates a plan View of the plate 'lilrefolding tray or garment receptacle with a full length knit Oarment spread out thereon ready for the first pressing operation.

Figure 2 shows a perspective View of the folding tray in partly folded position with one flap or plate thereof thrown partly over to douhle the garment hack upon itself for the lirst folding operation.

Figure 3 shows a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and illustrates the plate structure of the tray with a' pressing pad made as a cover therefor and with a gar ment placed thereon. v

Figures il, 5, 6, and 7 are diagrams to 1llustrate the various stages of the folding operation, from the position, in Figure 4, where the garment is rst folded transversely in the middle thereof to the place, Figure 7, the garment :is reduced to box size wth the front and hutten side placed up.

Y'In the practice of my invention, the garment ishrst pressed while open fulllei'igtli, and thereafter again pressed after being 'completely folded. The garment folding `tray essentially comprises a plurality of pir*- oted flaps, and a central statonarybody section or mess-plate 1l) has hinged at onceird :thereof a half-length folder plate11. An

endfolder platel). is pivotefd on the ,other end of the said cent-ral plate 10; and hingesr lil are employed in pivoting the 'end plates l1 and 12 upon central plate 10.

rr side 'folder plate or `flap 15 is carried upon hinges 16 upon 'each side of the central plate 1.0. 'The hinged nap-sections operate independently in order that thelfolding tray may jirst start its folding operation from the end plate 1l and thereafter followup the other folding operati-,ons by manipulating `the othcriflaps, one at a time.

Preferably, a'pad 18 is secured acrosstlre `upperface of the folding hoard or tray, and

thus the garment is carried upon apa'dded pressing surtace. `-rl`he pad 181s cut at19 `from the outerI edge to the axis of the hinge .16 'therehy enabling the two side plates 15ftio hinge over towards the central plate 10.

rlhe garment lis spread upon the press hoard ort'ray as shown in Figurel with the central portion of the garment ,disposed over `the central plate 10 and/with the garment arms supported onithe side flaps-1,5. `,This arrangement ofthe garmentplaces the legs thereof across the half folderllap`11.

fhc operators thus may quickly spread a knit garment across the press hoard and promptly run the press board and garment through a full size press whereloy the open garment is pressed upon the hoard or tray `in spread open position; and thereafter, the said press hoard or receptacle still holding the garment is dispatched through folders, either mechanically or manually operated, which promptly starts the operation of the tray flaps in predetermined sequence to carry out the folding operations as shown in the diagrams on sheet 2. In other words, the lengthwise folder flap 11 is first thrust back to double the garment once upon itself. Thereafter quickly follows thepperation of one side plate as shown in Figure 5, then the other side plate as shown in Figure 6; and finally the end folder plate 12 completes the folding operation hy doubling the alfill ready folded garment back upon itself thus exposing the" front and button side of the garment up as shown in Figure 7.

The garment having been folded up to a substantially small bundle or box size, as shown in Figure 7, is now pressed for the second time by dispatching tliesaid pressing tray or board through another pressing machine usually of reduced size; and it is to be understood how a steam heated and steam spray press may beV used to soften the garment, raise the nap and provide a. lofty appea "ance, as `Well as impart a sheen or luster and dry the garment after which the merchandise is removed from the tray and placed in a box for packing and shipping purposes. f

Figure 7 shows the garment press folding tray having guide size lines or indications 46, 44, 42, and so on including a plurality of size and guide marks printed upon the pad of the tray functioning as guide lines by which the operators manually position and place the garment upon the tray. For example, a large garment of a size to is placed with the shoulder and leg extremities upon the guide lines 4G, and a garment would be similarly placed on the lines 42. This arrangement enables garments of diti'erent sizes to be quickly placed so that they properly center over the central plate l0. i

The use of this tray is more particularly designed for continuous and automatic mechanical handling operations as for example, the said tray is intended to be carried by a conveyor throughout its folding and pressing stages. The tray preferably travels through mechanical `folding arms which reduces the garment to box size by automatically closing and opening the flaps constituting the coinbined press board and tray. It is not always necessary to close the tray flap all the way down for once it is started and passes beyond the vertical the garment itself folds over and completes the operation, and thus the flaps necessarily move through a limited arc in operation.

What l claim is:

l. A folder comprising a central plate section of suitable size substantially equal to the size of a. box or carton in which a folded garment is to be packed, a hing tlap hinged to one end of the central plate, a short llap hinged to the other end of the plate, and side flaps hinged to the plate.

2. A. folder comprising a central plate section of suitable size substantially equal to the sizeof a box or carton in which a folded garment is to be packed, a long flap hinged to one end of the central plate, a short llap hinged to the other end of the plate, side flaps hinged to the plate, a pad disposed over the several hinged flaps to `cover the folder and to cover the hinges to provide a padded pressing surface and said pad adapted to flex and fold alongl the axis of the aforesaid hinges during the operation of the fohller.

3. A combination garment pressing and folding tray comprising, a stationary press plate subf-itantially equal in size to that ci' a boit into which a garment is to be pinzlied, a halt-length folder flap somewhat longer and broader than the stationary press plate and being hinged to said press plate to double a garment haelt upon itself to :told it near lha center, a side flap folder plate somewhat longer than the stationary press plate pivoted on each side of the press plate with the flap plate ends projecting beyond the stationary plate, and an end folder plate about equal in size to the stationary prees plate and hinged to the press plate between the projecting ends of the aforesaid side flaps.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature this 4th day of August 1923; in the city of Rochester, county of Monroe, and State of New York.

EDVARD J.

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